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Since we are lifting quotes from the BOD article what about, 'All other attempts to raise the subject were met with a verbal version of that neat sidestep that has become so familiar as O'Driscoll slipped through the cover unscathed.'
It's the media who keep dragging this up not BOD, in particular the Sky journos, I think BOD and the IRFU are trying to avoid this as much as possible by having him at the press conference this week and not next. The questions should be about the game with Scotland not a sham battle that everyone is trying to move on from.
I think BOD's reputation has diminished in lots of people eyes after the Lions tour.
Still a deity in Ireland and with Irish fans but most people I know regard his as 1 a brilliant player and 2 a whiny ego monster who should just shut up.
...that neat sidestep that has become so familiar as O'Driscoll slipped through the cover unscathed.
Maybe a couple of seasons ago, but he's lost a yard or three of pace now, you know.
😉
(Awaits cries of "Burn the blasphemer!")
Oh I really can't be arsed...wot BM said.
Apart from...
I think BOD's reputation has diminished in lots of people eyes after the Lions tour.
He's been about the most mature about it of all commentators. It was the rest of us either whinging about it or lauding it gloatingly that ought to be having a look at ourselves. 🙂
It's getting a bit like the Murray throwaway comment before the world cup now. 😐
He's been about the most mature about it of all commentators. It was the rest of us either whinging about it or lauding it gloatingly that ought to be having a look at ourselves
This is indeed true! There was a great pic of him at Y Gat after the final test that really summed it up.
(shall stop the easy target fishing now)!
He was left out of the last Lions test of his career...what should he say?
either, "whats done is done, I've moved on" or, "I didnt do enough to get picked good on the lads for winning" or maybe just ignore the question.
Glad to see England mixing things up a bit and delighted Ashton is dropped. If France reproduce Autumn form they showed against NZ, England will lose that game, big test first up.
Lancaster has been mixing it up since day one, although with that back line and accounting for injuries is raw to say the least with potentially only 80 odd caps, 40 of which are care. Having said that competition is good with starting caps earned, but positions need to increasingly need to be nailed down for 2015.
Englands pack looks very strong with loads of ball carriers too. Backs a bit mleh.
either, "whats done is done, I've moved on"
What happened happened, I don’t have any ill will towards Warren.
See what Flashy said above.
If only they would read the full article, not just the bits that suit their dragon tinted specs hey DD?
England's pack will do well in France it will be close but I think Eng will edge it.
😛
Oh I dunno...dragging the Edinburgh defence out. Fairy nuff, I just thought you hadn't read the article again.
I must not be a big hitter as I have no idea what you mean by edinburgh defence.
I agree BM. I have a sneaky feeling England will win in France too...by not very much. Game of the weekend for me. Hoping it's a cracker.
The Edinburgh defence is terrible even Munster got a bonus point 😆
Ok IGMC
I think you need to move on yourself now a_a. 🙂
BM 😆 It was the game there that I still wonder at. Predictions for the Green Machine - Scotland game? (Edit: D'oh)
BOD is evil anyway. He ruined this poor guys career!
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The only dodgy bit in that vid is the hair do, what was he thinking?
The irish love a mullet almost as much as the kiwis!
That's one I can't defend
I thought we were talking about Williams tints 😯
The Edinburgh defence is terrible even Munster got a bonus point
Brilliant!
Stop it! I miss TeeJ from these threads. 🙁
Hear, hear, DD!
I'm currently in Stirling trying to wind up Scotland fans but they only want to talk about fitba. As if that's not bad enough they have turned the City game over to Celtic vs Ecclefechan or someone. And the Guiness is shite
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/25956158
Getting really boring now, cant we just sort it out. Where will the Torfaen Flamingos play?
Ach, by KO on Sat we will all know what the Welsh are doing (and monkeys may fly out of my butt)
Marler at loosehead for england. What do you lot think. I always thought he was a bit shit. Bench looks a bit stodgy.
Parents evening clashes with E v Fr 🙁
Looking forward to a good 6N. Should be close again. Who will gain the early momentum? Seems a balance for you boys aa and flashy, more games in Cardiff but two big ones (ok, one big one in Dublin) away from home.
Is it good to take on France first or not? We shall see!!!
Parents evening clashes with E v Fr
finally an answer to which is best state or private schools!!
England have a strong pack but backs look less dangerous, bench a bit stodgy. Wales have a strong 15 and a weak bench. More injuries will really weaken Wales.
Marler will be good if he is able to cope with the scrum. Some players can play him really well. When that happens he fades out of the loose a lot. England have a useful pack, but everybody is overlooking the fact that the French,front row esp,ain't exactly chopped ham either. French backs are better imo. Care's quicker service will be vital for England lots of ball over the French centres heads methinks...
Nice to start with a game I can watch as a neutral. 😉
😳"The Scottish referee simply let them get on with it.
Predictions for the weekend ?
France by 5
Ireland by 3-7
Wales by 10-14
I think England by 5, but France to score first.
Danny Care looks increasingly like Baldrick to me, but nevertheless he needs to have a good game.
For me this hinges on how England play, which I suspect ultimately will revert to type. if 36 plays well and releases Burrell they'll have there hands full as long as our new boys don't get nervous, which might draw the defense. But I suspect the game plan is as per usual swapping Burrell into tuilagis role - tie them into the forwards and ask Burrell to crash through. Our issue is that we can't do what the kiwi's do and basic rugby instructions say - run support with the ball carrier in the backs. I'm pretty sure Lancaster will have spent the last two weeks drumming that out of the debutants.
And I say that on the basis that I'm not sure I've seen any imaginatively different plan from Lancaster.
Burrell has to try crashing through tubby-tubby Basteraud on his first cap as well.
I agree that there only appears to be one game plan with Lancaster plus Farrell stands too deep and runs out of ideas and kicks possession away too easily, i see him having a similar career trajectory to Ashton.
ijs445ra - Member
Predictions for the weekend ?France by 5
Ireland by 3-7
Wales by 10-14
Hmmm. Not too convinced.
I'm going for
France by 10
Ireland by 15+
Wales by 5
Re the last one - A pessimist is rarely disappointed.
can someone give me some accurate predictions for actual scores for this weekend's matches?
I need to submit to the office sweepstake and as a part-time supporter haven't looked at rugby for a year... 🙂
France by less than 5
Ireland by 10
Wales by 15+
brakes,
Average out the margins. England France game, winners not likely to score more than 20, same for Ireland Scotland game. Wales Italy, Wales likely to score 30+.
Wales by 7
Ireland by 10
France by 240 000 hopefully.
ok, these are my predictions:
Sat 1st Feb
Wales 31 v Italy 21
France 12 v England 15
Sun 2nd Feb
Ireland 28 v Scotland 12
France by 240 000 hopefully.
haha! here we go. A_A is fully on the ABE bus.
Ireland team to face Scotland:
Rob Kearney (Leinster); Andrew Trimble (Ulster), Brian O'Driscoll (Leinster), Luke Marshall (Ulster), Dave Kearney (Leinster); Johnny Sexton (Racing Metro), Conor Murray (Munster); Cian Healy (Leinster), Rory Best (Ulster), Mike Ross (Leinster); Devin Toner (Leinster), Paul O'Connell (Munster); Peter O'Mahony (Munster), Chris Henry (Ulster), Jamie Heaslip (Ulster).
Replacements: Jack McGrath (Leinster), Sean Cronin (Leinster), Martin Moore (Leinster), Dan Tuohy (Ulster), Tommy O'Donnell (Munster), Isaac Boss (Leinster), Paddy Jackson (Ulster), Fergus McFadden (Ulster)
Taylor v Fitzgerald at 12 could be interesting
France by 240 000 hopefully.
AA being a bit conservative arent you 😆
I would go for a straight 1,000,000 😉
No Fitzgerald he is injured bugger! Trimble ok replacement but would have liked to see Zebo on bench. team looks solid rather than exciting. good ulster represantation and delighted to see TOD on the bench
anagallis_arvensis - Member
Wales by 7
Ireland by 10
France by 240 000 hopefully.
The haterz is back... I will PMSL when we beat Wales, and be sure to raise this comment.
Bless dont get your knickers twisted Kryton.
I'm going for
France by 10
Ireland by 15+
Wales by 5
Think I agree with CFH most.
France will either win or lose by 10. Either destroy Eng or destroy themselves.
Ireland looked good in the Autumn at times and have the potential to score well against Scotland.
Wales should win comfortably but are Wales (and some of the big names haven't had too much game time/ form) so will only wake up on the 30th minute having made life hard for themselves 😀
Anyway I've bought me an Italy shirt and am going to scream the place down tomorrow. Go Azzuri!
Good lad. Is Parisse playing? Hes well fit.
No chance of Farrels career going same way as Ashton because of one thing.....
I bit the bullet that needed biting and put a fairly outrageous amount of money on England to do the Grand Slam.
£2.50?
Gatling gave an interview this week saying that Italy is the team that Wales most like to beat.
Gatling gave an interview this week saying that Italy is the team that Wales most like to beat.
Worse than that, he left the whole Italian team out of the Lions Squad!
In other news, Sale are currently beating Ospreys in the LV Cup. Sale score 4 tries in the first half to Ospreys one.
LV who cares 🙄
@granny, winning the RBS possibly but a Grand Slam, you're nuts !
Hard to know what will happen in Paris as you never know which French side will turn up and it's England's first outing.
Pigface - its a good platform for the up and coming players.
Sale now 33 - Ospreys 20. 7 try game so far, sounds like a good game!
If the LV is so worthless then why the pressure for the regions to join the Prem?
Tight game now, 30-36 with 12 minutes to go. Sale down to 14 men, can Ospreys come back?
Ooh, Ospreys recover to win 37-36 9 try game!
Ooh, Ospreys recover to win 37-36 9 try game!
What a great competition the LV cup is 😉 great win for the O's 😉
"you only sing when your winning" 😛
We sing all the time 8)
Brilliant,the times 6n spread would appear to be 4n this year.
I've just watch some Tv where the reporter stated "Wales will to become the 1st team to win the 6n 3 x in a row and therefore one of the best teams in the world"
Talk about one eyed. Even if they do win it, it'll be against a series of debutant players / team structures which will wipe the floor with their creaking structure in the RWC later on.
IMO only Scotland and Ireland are developing correctly. I'm going to be forever bemused about the Northen hemi and Stuart lancasters insistence on using players out of position which although seems to be correcting itself a bit, still suffers from a strangulation of individual flare. Allegedly the England new boys have been told to use their talent today but we'll see eh.
IMO if England's back line isn't established in the next few weeks so they can play together for a bit and show some sort of attacking threat, we're screwed in 2016.
That would be the case if we (Scotland) had any players to develop.The SRU did the right thing with regards to redevelopment and how it approached the pro game ( canny,or tight in English)However player numbers suffered because of this and now,despite the joined up progression,there are far fewer players. TBH if Wales can keep their 1st xv on the pitch,it is prob good enough to win the 6n. But despite the cryochambers,they do have a fragile air to them. I do not share the medias low opinion of France,this afternoon will be interesting.
I do not share the medias low opinion of France,this afternoon will be interesting.
Me neither. I see them leading at half time, then England regardless of what the coaches say reverting to type Burrell and May could make a difference but first they need to get some ball then need to run as much off the ball as they want to with it.
I've just read that burells weakness could be defense. I'd imagine Basteraud will test him out big time, which is why Barrit is on the bench.
Bastereau is the master of losing the ball either in the tackle or getting turned over from what I've seen. It's OK being a human wrecking ball but if you give the ball back to the opposition the yards that you made prior to it aren't that valuable!
It's not hard to see him running straight over 36 and scoring a try though! Cannot wait for the game now!
I dont really agree with that,I also think bastereau makes ball and space for fofana in a way his oppo centres can only dream about today.I don't know where the assertions that france will be beasted up front are coming from. Cole and Marler will be up against it. Lawes is the only English forward obviously better than his opposite number as Hartley will have that bear Mas coming straight(or not,as the case may be)at him from the first scrum. As l said earlier,Care is the most important England player on the pitch. Should be a good game.
Care is the most important England player on the pitch. Should be a good game.
I dunno. I think wood and robshaw getting in thier 10's face could be more decisive. Get them rattled and they are usually in pieces, let them settle and I think we're in trouble.
I still maintain French stupidity (cards, drop balls, bananas tactics) will win us the get but we must bring intensity.
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Sort yer bloody link out O'Flashearty 🙂
Ahem......
😉
I do not share the medias low opinion of France,this afternoon will be interesting.
I don't share your opinion that the media have a low opinion of france, most of the opinion seems to be going the froggy way.
Anyway in the true spirit of the forum, I don't care if England lose, it's more important to me that Wales do.
🙂
Poor Italian full back, getting a bounce like that on his debut
Great kick from 1/2p.
"still looking for his first touch" 😆