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I think its Scotland's ability to win when they shouldn't, now in a situation where they "should" win, they will lose.

That was some of the best rugby I've seen Scotland play, now if only we can do it against teams other than Italy

 JoeRugby wrote:
And another weekend of hopefully high quality rugby is upon us.

Obviously im going to be biased and say wales for the win over France, nothing more than the blind welsh optimism that will end by making it hurt when they play like headless chickens.

I think Italy will edge Scotland on the back of last weeks win, and that their starting to have the confidence to run the ball.

And Ireland to win at home given England will struggle to get much/any clean ball with an irish pack that are great at slowing down a ruck. It'll be interesting to see if the running rugby England i'm enjoying watching will will go back into their old ways when up against it in a hostile environment.

I really hope your third prediction doesn't go the same way as the first two.

 gianlucafiorentini123 wrote:

 JoeRugby wrote:
And another weekend of hopefully high quality rugby is upon us.

Obviously im going to be biased and say wales for the win over France, nothing more than the blind welsh optimism that will end by making it hurt when they play like headless chickens.

I think Italy will edge Scotland on the back of last weeks win, and that their starting to have the confidence to run the ball.

And Ireland to win at home given England will struggle to get much/any clean ball with an irish pack that are great at slowing down a ruck. It'll be interesting to see if the running rugby England i'm enjoying watching will will go back into their old ways when up against it in a hostile environment.

I really hope your third prediction doesn't go the same way as the first two.

Yea me too, looking forward to the game today still think Ireland for the win

Relieved after the wales win, wasn't the best performance and if you weren't welsh or french i can see how people could think it was boring, I'm happy though

You know Italy are going to have a tough day when Parisse starts having handling errors (think i counted 3, that's more than I've ever seen him make) and their fly half wasn't anywhere near the level he was playing at last week against France. For Scotland Hogg is defo put his hand up for lions Contention don't know if hes there yet as one of the top 2 full backs but hes close.

The France Wales game was one of the most depressing games of rugby I've ever seen, hopefully today's game lives up to the expectations

Would have posted earlier, but the France-Wales game was so dire, it drove me to drink!
If they're watching that in Australia or New Zealand, then I can't imagine they'll be losing too much sleep.

As somebody said, if Gatland picks 3/4 of that Welsh team for the Lions, then it will be funny to watch him justify that decision!


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 Hlaine Larkin mk2 wrote:
The France Wales game was one of the most depressing games of rugby I've ever seen, hopefully today's game lives up to the expectations

I'll be honest, I thought the Scotland Italy game would be the annual, 9-6 to Italy, grinding borefest, and that France Wales would provide the tries. What do I know!

Good news for England with Zebo going off injured. Come on boys!

Never thought that the only exciting game this weekend would be played by Scotland
But Ireland just couldn't hold onto the ball or find touch when they tried to kick for it

Not the best of games was it, probably mostly due to the weather but it was a very scrappy game. My wife, who is Irish, was absolutely raging towards the end

Just glad we got the win. Bit scrappy.

Yup, I'll take a scrappy 12-6 win in Dublin, thank you very much. Ireland have got a few injury worries now though.

So, I just got done watching England and France, and all I really have to say is that next years' six nations, I think France may have a rethink of how they run their clubs against the national teams


England just looked like the more fit and ready to play team, even considering the slow start they had that first 40.

The matchup I was most keen to watch (aside from the tight 5, since that is where I currently play), was in Tuilagi and Bastareaud... And I have to say that Tuilagi definitely was the bigger man in that match.

Saint-Andre sabotaged the French with his substitutions, I had to check that Marc Lievremont wasn't back in charge. I can't believe Ireland managed to lose a game where they had eighty percent possession, although Scotland winning by kicking just enough penalties in the rain is a return to a couple of years ago. Words cannot describe just how dull the Italy - Wales match was though. It really was a couple of hours to forget.

grrr

Yup, England well on their way to a grand slam now.

France, well, Saint-Andre seems to have lost the plot a little, and now possibly the wooden spoon..!

How Ireland lost no one will ever know.

The Scotland game proves that Defence wins games. The pack and line out play fantastically and we took our opportunities when we got them. Ireland didn't.

The fact Scotland are 2-1 and France are 0-3 makes me think that there's a glitch in the matrix but let the good times roll

 grrrfranky wrote:
Saint-Andre sabotaged the French with his substitutions, I had to check that Marc Lievremont wasn't back in charge. I can't believe Ireland managed to lose a game where they had eighty percent possession, although Scotland winning by kicking just enough penalties in the rain is a return to a couple of years ago. Words cannot describe just how dull the Italy - Wales match was though. It really was a couple of hours to forget.

grrr

From watching that match, while I agree that the French subs largely made no sense, I think that ultimately the English were the more fit side. As the match wore on, it seemed that the French were tiring more noticeably, and the penalties ceded at the end were pretty bad for them, and on the other side, the English were largely composed, and still hitting like it was the first 10 minutes of the game (aside from Owen Farrell, who was a wee bit pissed, and ended up hurt in some fashion)


Anyone get any news on Farrell's apparent injury?

Gutted I slept through it, thank you night shifts.

Farrell looked to have stained his groin the way he pulled up. He was sill really as he was noticeably limping and playing about with it for about five minutes beforehand.

As for the match, Lawes is a beast in second row but a poor choice at blindside. He should have made way in the starting line up for Haskell and room made in the row.

I still can't beleive he missed Forfana and slide off him so tamely but was the same man that cut the Irish fly half in tow in the last round! As for the other softcocks that flapped around his shoulders, my guess is that this weeks light training will now take the form of a tackle session beasting!

The scrum was a problem, I'm still not sure about marler. Any prop that has time to coiffure his hair isn't working harder enough to me. It was better in the second half when the changes were made but that could be down to the frenchies dropping in intensity.

I really like the dynamism that Danny Care brought to the forward play when he came on for Youngs. The was immediately a 5-6 phase section of close forward play that was amazing. Each rapid punch making plenty of yards with quick recycling; the sort of play that saw us crush the Kiwis. It drew a penalty the with put us back in the lead or extended it. Great play, if that had of been minute 1 and not 61 then the game might have been very differant.

As it was it was much as most of the sensible pundits had predicted 60 minutes of tight play then England turn the screw and pressure France out of the match.

No great comments on Rance but at least they turned up for the match. Bastereaud was neutered and never really stood out, Trinh-duc, parra, Forfana and Picamoles all looked good until half of them we withdrawn. Sainte-Andre seems to have caught whatever it is French Coachs get when put in charge of the national team, I mean he was a pretty good club coach but while his selection was good his subs were barmy. Michalak: what was he thinking?

Another composed display, Robshaw is growing into a fantastic player and captain and must have out his head firmly in front for the Lions captaincy. I'm really beginning to like the big oaf.

 notprop wrote:

No great comments on Rance but at least they turned up for the match. Bastereaud was neutered and never really stood out, Trinh-duc, parra, Forfana and Picamoles all looked good until half of them we withdrawn. Sainte-Andre seems to have caught whatever it is French Coachs get when put in charge of the national team, I mean he was a pretty good club coach but while his selection was good his subs were barmy. Michalak: what was he thinking?

At the half, the commentators were comparing the two big backs for the French and English, and talking about who was having the better showing, and through video evidence, it was clear that Tuilagi was on form, whereas England had figured out just how to stop Bastareaud, which was throw three tacklers at him, and force him to lose the ball... Tuilagi was just running through a good number of tacklers like they were school-children, and even got a good offensive smashing in on Bastareaud. I'm still amazed at those two guys' size and wonder why it is they aren't forwards (but then I see them run with the ball, and I'm reminded again.

They come from the Jonah Lomu school of backs, obviously. I agree England had Bastareaud figured out. He wasn't looking to pass, so there's nothing to stop the outside defender coming in to help with the tackle.

grrr

 Hlaine Larkin mk2 wrote:
The Scotland game proves that Defence wins games. The pack and line out play fantastically and we took our opportunities when we got them. Ireland didn't.

The fact Scotland are 2-1 and France are 0-3 makes me think that there's a glitch in the matrix but let the good times roll

I remember back in '99 when Scotland last won it, France were bottom, and yet, they reached the world cup final that same year. Never waste your time trying to predict the actions of Frenchmen

Looking foward to Scotland's last two games - they're never dull.

The last one was, why wouldn't they?

So guys, we got another round coming up this weekend, and some of the starting 15s that are coming out are raising a few eyebrows...

What do you think of this weekends matchups?

Go Ireland!

Once again we're waiting to see what France do. Will they manage to play properly for a whole match, will Saint-Andre sabotage them with a raft of unfathomable substitutions, who knows? I can definitely see Ireland beating them, with Kidney making a really bold call at fly half.

Scotland need some rain, and if their defence can hold up like last week they're in with a shot, but I expect Wales to take that one by at least seven points.

England should have no real trouble with Italy, setting up the championship decider and possible grand slam against Wales next week.

That was a lucky pull back from France. Shame Ireland didn't get it.

 Azza007 wrote:
That was a lucky pull back from France. Shame Ireland didn't get it.

Yeah, there were some iffy calls, IMO. The French try where they mauled their way in, personally shoulda gone to TMO, and the TMO call of "no foul play" that cost Ireland the match basically.


Can't wait to see what happens tomorrow with England and Italy.

 Hlaine Larkin mk2 wrote:
Really hoping for Scotland to win the Calcutta Cup this Saturday, but it's at Twickenham,
Hopefully we can finish above Italy and whichever of the other four stumbles a bit this year.
Should be close this year, my moneys on Ireland to win it , but not a grand slam

TROLOLOLOLOLOL
As a fellow Scot I am sad we lost the Clacutta Cup but we have beaten Itlay (convincingly) Ireland (luckily) and scandalously lost to Wales due to appaling refereeing. Ireland are playing so badly I can't believe it and may even finish below Italy!!

Italy should have won that match, we got lucky.

 Azza007 wrote:
Italy should have won that match, we got lucky.

Wish I coulda watched it... Unfortunately BBC America only shows Saturday Rugby, which is clearly against the "church" of American Rugby, because Saturday is Rugby day for most of us. And, I really wish they'd also show more England Rugby, as they are clearly the most dominant Northern Hemisphere team right now.