2023 Six Nations
Amid lots of controversy the championship starts on this weekend. Will Ireland live up to their World No.1 position or will it be France again? What are England's chances under their new coach Steve Borthwick, another series of "what might have been"? Can Warren Gatland inspire the Welsh player again to perform above expectations? Can Scotland at last deliver? Lots of questions to answered over the next few weeks....looking forward to them being answered.
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I'm waiting to see these big strong players tackling each other at knee height !!
I know that head injuries are the main subject of discussion nowadays, but no tackling above the waist does seem a tad restrictive to my way of thinking !
That apart I will get myself a heavy duty cushion for the settee ~~ the first and most important subject chez ABM !!
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Great game yesterday even if the "wrong" side won, and what a cracking try!!
I see the favourites only just managed to beat England's next opponents. We might find out if they have improved under Bothwick or are the same as last season on Saturday.
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Same old problems at Twickers - I thought Borthwick would at least have had the sense to drop the Captain, whose post match speech was exactly the same as the previous ones. Under his ‘leadership’ they have learnt nothing and still remain directionless!!
How refreshing to see an exciting Italian talent at 15. He lit up the Stadium and I believe he could cause many a problem for opponents to come. He’ll probably score 3 tries in the next fixture on his own.
For me, the Welsh are now the weakest side in the competition and Mr Gatland really has his work cut out.
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Two cracking games of attacking rugby today, with worthy winners. 😀 Wonder if England's "new" midfield trip can work some magic tomorrow and provide a better showing than last week, or could we end up with them and Wales fighting it out for the Wooden Spoon?
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What a treat! Ireland/France first 40 minutes probably the best rugby seen for decades! Absolutely superb. Scotland/Wales a good watch too and well done to Mr Gatland for fielding his youngsters in the scrum - all part of a rebuilding excercise.
Nellie, I fear the latter may be true!
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A much better performance by England today, especially considering how well Italy played last weekend. It will be interesting now to see if they can go even better against Wales in two week's time.
Micky, another of the "clan" as defensive coach for England, will his acumen prove to be the tonic the side needs?
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It’s a difficult one to answer, Nellie. I think Borthwick is absolutely right about picking the team and tactics according to the opposition’s preserved strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes that Rugby League acumen will have the desired effect but on other occasions it may be an issue, an undoing.
I was a little concerned that the kicking game may undo England on Saturday, they started off targeting the diminutive Capuozzi but then changed that in favour of territory after the young Italian took a few high balls and made more yardage than all players on the pitch during the course of the game. He was arguably the most creative back on the park. Rugby may still be a game for all sorts, it’s just a means of finding the right ones and right tactics for the day. Sometime this may lead to boring displays though.0 -
Obviously!😁
I think that there was still too much kicking by Farrell, especially when on the attack close to the Italian's line. He should have relied more on the forwards going through the phases instead of pushing it for a quick score.
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Possibly, but the plan was plain and predictable. In my opinion the game lacked both interest and spectacle. Win at all cost being the order of the day, on this occasion it paid off, not so sure it will work against Ireland or France. I long for creativity and a proper running game but of course I would having been a back! Hated that 10 man game but realised it sometimes was required. As a scrum half it frustrated me when most of my game involved putting the ball into the scrum (correctly timed, straight and between of course) but some games it was productive and necessary according to those 8 forwards.🤣
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After a very traumatic day at the Welsh Rugby HQ a compromise has been reached, which means that the Wales/England game goes ahead on Saturday. I wonder what all discussions/threat of strikes will have on the Welsh team.....Will it inspire them or will their heads be full of stuff no beneficial to playing a competitive game if rugby?
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Obviously, I’m hoping that the Welsh players will have wished they’d retired, never mind considered going on strike, following the fixture!
However, our friends on t’other side of Offa’s Dyke are renowned for putting in a performance against England and for me, it’s always the most eagerly anticipated game. Win or lose, there’s no better banter 👍 (and their singing isn’t bad either!)1 -
Well, I wasn’t that impressed with England at all! Farrell scored how many points through his boot? The Italians were the standout team for me today, such courage, commitment and a willingness to run, pass and take risks. Made for entertaining play!
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Not like Farrell to miss so many attempts at putting the ball through the sticks. Had he finished with his usual 75% success England would have won comfortably. I was impressed by how seldom they were penalised within kicking distance, which has been in the past been the train for them struggling to win matches.
I only saw the second half of the Italy game but they are certainly a vastly improved side from that of recent years.
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Re. Farrell, it wasn’t his finest display, solid in the main but lacking that creativity we have seen from others. To be fair all the negative press and comment in social media must be having an effect, not just on him but those around him and those in control of his destiny. A week can be a long time in sport!
Today’s contest will be interesting. Will Scotland continue to build on their recent efforts or will that French flare turn up on their pitch. My money is on a marginal home win!0 -
A little more than a marginal win at the finish but it could, and should have been a very tight finish apart from that poor lineout overthrow which handed the game back to the French just when the Scots had their tails up.
However the next round of matches should be just as interesting, and hopefully, as exciting as this weekend's.
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Well that next round is nearly upon us and the media hype around the fixtures is building and may go into overdrive. What with Marcus Smith returning and Italy potentially embarrassing the Welsh again. Should be, as you said Nellie, interesting and exciting. What I’m aware of though is one fan’s delight is another’s nightmare.
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Er, er, does that, perchance, mean in each half, Mickysf , because thats what I think is likely unless there is a 100% improvement in ALL THE ENGLISH PLAYERS PERFORMANCE
Todays episode was quite the worst England performance that I have ever seen ~~ at least I could start reading fairy stories on my Kindle, ready for the fairy tales to come in several parts of the Sunday Scandal Sheets.
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What a dreadful performance. I wonder what the shape of the team will be for next weekend's mstch? I fear for England too after Ireland's performance today.
The first half of today's game was really enjoyable, and a great contest, but Scotland threw it away after ha!f time. It may well have been a different game had they crossed the line just before 1/2 time, but what ifs don't matter in the long run.
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I hope the " Irish Patient { aka Gary Ringrose } " is ok this evening, Nth -- he struggled to raise his hand off his chest to give the fans a " Thumbs up " but at least he shewed that he was conscious even if ailing somewhat.
Very Best Wishes for the lad 'cos we all know just how dangerous Head Injuries can be, even in years to come !!
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