6 Nations 2015

[johng]

I'm not sure how anyone could go for England tbh, at the very least I can't see us not winning by 5 points more than they do.

Jaysus! At home? Knowing what they have to do? Against the worst French team in the history of the universe?

I hope you are right. At least with Wales we will know our target.

I honestly thought we were fecked.

Wales had the advantage of just going out to play and not having their preparations upset by worrying about other results.

England had the advantage of knowing EXACTLY what they had to do. (At home)

We had neither. Worst of both worlds. The fact that we still managed it AND with a record equalling margin in Murrayfield. Well.......

[blockhead]

What a bat-sh*t crazy day of rugby.
First and foremost, well done Joe and the boys, back to back 6N champs .
Wales must have thought they had done enough to win the title scoring 61pts. Jonathan Davies looked fairly confident on the Beeb before the Ireland game.
Great to see SOB back to his best, POC was everywhere, Payne got a good try, Heaslip was brilliant as usual. A 30pt margin away to Scotland is always impressive.
Couldn't see England putting in a 27pt victory margin but boy didn't they get close. A candidate for the greatest game in 6N history? Probably not but certainly one of the most exciting, almost surreal, games of rugby I have ever witnessed. France just kept popping up and scoring tries to peg England back. England were brilliant for most of the game and yet they conceded 35pts and 5 tries at home, mad. From Nikinakitaki almost ballsing up that try, to France trying to run that penalty at the end.
What a weekend, 6N Champs again, men and women, and no more Hook on the telly.

Almost forgot, Owens giving Robshaw the full first name treatment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsSoR-8e24M

Classic Nigel!

[Vamos los azules]

There was always a danger For England that if they had to go on a points chase and start flinging the ball around that France would remember they were French and decide to join in. Not sure anyone would have predicted quite how bananas it would go though.

[blockhead]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6uyX3G67XI

Funny now, but at the time I was pulling my hair out.

[JB1973]

amazing day of rugby, well done to Ireland.

Gutted we scored 60 points plus at an away ground and still came 3rd!

Still a very good tournament for Wales , warburton and awj back to their very best, webb and liam Williams are now test level players and we seem to have found some of our attacking mojo.

Bring on the world cup

[OTT]

Not sure if these are anywhere else and I did not see them said so not sure what context they are in, but my god what sour grapes.

http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,2588 ... 97,00.html

[JB1973]

Youngs sounded a bit tongue in cheek, brown's certainly didn't.

However the effort or rather lack of it that Italy put in that second half and Scotland all game was terrible.

The scots looked scared to tackle SOB and their scramble defence was little short of pathetic.

Ireland were the best team over the tournament and were worthy champions, but the scots deserve every bit of stick they get after that garbage

[Logorrhea]

England were unlucky alight, but is anyone else confused about these references to France "turning up". They conceded 55 point in a championship match and people say they turned up?

Wales turned up against Ireland. Barnes aside, they were screaming at each other to get up in the defensive line and put in hit after hit after hit. That was real commitment. That was putting their bodies on the line. The French seemed to implement a form of defence in which structure was unimportant and commitment to get back in a defensive line was not required after two phases.

Spectacular day of rugby it was. Unbelievably dramatic. But it was one in which the teams that had nothing to play for (all three of them), played like they had nothing to play for.

[JB1973]

England were unlucky alight, but is anyone else confused about these references to France "turning up". They conceded 55 point in a championship match and people say they turned up?

Wales turned up against Ireland. Barnes aside, they were screaming at each other to get up in the defensive line and put in hit after hit after hit. That was real commitment. That was putting their bodies on the line. The French seemed to implement a form of defence in which structure was unimportant and commitment to get back in a defensive line was not required after two phases.

Spectacular day of rugby it was. Unbelievably dramatic. But it was one in which the teams that had nothing to play for (all three of them), played like they had nothing to play for.

France defence was terrible and they should be slammed for that . However they did turn up with ball in hand, I doubt we'd have seen a Scottish/Italian prop run 90 yards to get outside his winger?


Maybe we should look at relegation ? that at least may ensure sides give their best in every game


I'm not so sure Georgia in tiblisi would have folded like Scotland and Italy did saturday

[All Blacks nil]

Spectacular day of rugby it was. Unbelievably dramatic. But it was one in which the teams that had nothing to play for (all three of them), played like they had nothing to play for.

And that my friends is the perfect summation of the day.
Well said !

[simonokeeffe]

Didnt see Mike Brown complaining about conservative rugby when England had a Farrell at outhalf. Plus a midfield of Barritt and Tuilagi. And Mike Brown on the wing to accommodate 2 fullbacks in backline

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Burrell had an awful tournament, there's huge scope to improve simply by replacing him. I've always been a fan but he's been poor all season.

[simonokeeffe]

Burrell had an awful tournament, there's huge scope to improve simply by replacing him. I've always been a fan but he's been poor all season.

I think he has agoraphobia he goes back inside that often

centre is still a conundrum for England

if fit Tuilagi HAS to play
but hes at 13 you need some distribution from 12 which there arent any options for, maybe Slade from Exeter
Tuilagi plays 12 then does he ever pass to Joseph?

Wales still have that same problem of the 2 centres cant and or dont pass

[LeRouxIsPHat]

I wonder if England would play Tuilagi on the wing? Him on the left and Nowell on the right might work. I can see them trying to shoehorn Farrell in at 12 but personally I'd go for Barritt. I think Slade is quality but cant see him getting into the side In time for the WC. I said before the tournament that they were going too far away from the bullying game they were playing but a couple of little tweaks could see them strike the perfect balance.

[blockhead]

Get this for bitter logic.

Instead of blaming profligacy in earlier fixtures Paul Hayward ( Telegraph, I think) has pinned England’s defeat on the injustice of having staggered kick off times on the final day of the championship.

He writes: “Proponents of staggered kick-off times (and there are probably many more now) ignore not only the potential for manipulation but the reality that Italy and Scotland, who had nothing to gain beyond scraps of pride, shaped the last round of games by capitulating to Wales and Ireland respectively.

“Scotland’s implosion at Murrayfield was particularly lamentable. England’s win-target rose from 16 points to 26 on a day of immense fun but built-in unfairness.”

So going last is the new having to go first?

[fourthirtythree]

France capitulating defensively made it difficult for us. But there you go.

[Vamos los azules]

And Italy's performance in the first match of the final round this year differed to their performance in the final round last year how exactly?

England should be thanking Sarto for scoring the try at the end by the way, because without that they would be in third in the final standings behind Wales.

[Twist]

Talk of Englamd being unlucky annoys me. They were extremely fortunate that France left so many points on the posts, to say nothing of the kicks Madigan and Sexton missed. For four kickers to misfire like that is extremely rare.

[berniemac67]

Youngs sounded a bit tongue in cheek, brown's certainly didn't.

However the effort or rather lack of it that Italy put in that second half and Scotland all game was terrible.

The scots looked scared to tackle SOB and their scramble defence was little short of pathetic.

Ireland were the best team over the tournament and were worthy champions, but the scots deserve every bit of stick they get after that garbage

LOL. back handed compliment.

Wales were good value for third.

[simonokeeffe]

I wonder if England would play Tuilagi on the wing? Him on the left and Nowell on the right might work. I can see them trying to shoehorn Farrell in at 12 but personally I'd go for Barritt. I think Slade is quality but cant see him getting into the side In time for the WC. I said before the tournament that they were going too far away from the bullying game they were playing but a couple of little tweaks could see them strike the perfect balance.

He played all his Junior rugby there, can still come off his wing (close in) like say how Cohen used to

Barritt not much of a passer/distributor either though

leftfield recall for Geraghty?