[Closed] 2015-16 rugby, world cup year

Priestland, Tipuric and Owens. Plus england ran out of puff

Agree but it's also a question of intent - Wales seem to need to have their backs against the wall and be down by a fairly big score before they start to throw it around.

I also think that 19 points didn't really reflect the dominance we had in the first half - we still missed far to many chances and ended up with 3 points where we should have had 7; for which I largely blame Youngs.

And who won the back row battle - perhaps the lack of stupid penalties (Haskell's neck roll apart) gives the answer??

Warburton has been quiet all year and Lydiate. Thought Not Toby was the better 8. Hard to tell which backrow was better when an entire team is being mullard. Hask and Robshaw did set the world on fire and Vunipola was handled well.

Igm - balance that against the fwd pass for his first try then.

Nowell was getting pulled all around defensively at the end, hence North getting joy where he wasn't getting any earlier on

It looked like the midfield defence of England got too narrow. Maybe Manu's positioning at 12 needs work?

dantsw13 - I might give you that one. But as a neutral I love a come back and a grandstand finish.

Edit - and as a Scot I have to moan about Joubert

Playing Itoje at 4, with Haskell and Robshaw and Vunipola is a very strong unit.

Igm - oh, it was certainly that! I thought they'd do it.

Also Priestland is able to hit Williams on the outside of the 12 or 13 which creates space

Tallie - the space isn't there early in the game. You have to earn the right to play that way late on.

Tell that to the ABs or Aussies or indeed most Super teams? I'd agree it wouldn't earn such spectacular results earlier in the game but it's more entertaining and arguably successful than smash and kick. Plus Wales do largely have the players that can play fast open rugby?

Aa - and Daly. He will be great, but is finding the step up from the Aviva a big one.

You look at the stats -ABs kill teams in the last 5 mins of the first half, and the last 20.

Dan You look at the stats -ABs kill teams in the last 5 mins of the first half, and the last 20.

Yes but they're playing heads up, fast open rugby for 80 min and teams tire at the end of halves.

Not sure what the answer is with the scrum, but we are in the danger of massively over-thinking and analysing the scrum - its a bit like a certain academic subject 😉 where practioners have introduced so much Maths in an attempt to make it seem precise!

Eight v strong men straining against each other with marginal factors creating relative dramatic results. Amost impossible - even for a hooker 😉 - to know what's going on and static photos and the spider cam give a false sense of insight. The experts are anything but....

Playing Itoje at 4, with Haskell and Robshaw and Vunipola is a very strong unit.

Still think they'll get found out against a good team.

Ok I just ran that last tackle on North through frame by frame. He got the pass away before his knee hit the ground.

Anyone else notice that they replaced robshaw with a prop?

Only because they need to bring another prop on after Cole's yellow.

It looked like the midfield defence of England got too narrow. Maybe Manu's positioning at 12 needs work?

There was a moment between Brown and Davies, both those two like a push and shove!! Loopy Liam pissed off Nowell too!

also heartened to see him direct the england med bloke towards Charteris to help with his finger

He may be an utter shit, but he's a rugby utter shit. 🙂

If the tackler is expected to roll away immediately surely the tackled should be have to release the ball immediately?

Is the tackled player allowed to get tackled, roll over and present the ball? Or is it just one of those things that has become the norm like not putting in straight at the scrum?

It's been that way since I can remember ctk. Certainly when I played junior rugby.

[img] [/img]

Shame we cant see what he's looking at.

Give the TMO glasses. Shameful. Citing and banning on the way. In fact the whole use of the TMO is getting daft IMO, why make a decision as the match official when someone elce can do it for you....

It doesn't even matter if it was intentional. Contact with the eye area always earns a healthy ban. I've seen 12 weeks given for less obvious cases than that but you never know. He had better get down to waitrose.

It's starting to get as bad as football when a player can react like that to a bit of tickling. What happened to turning the man by using his nostrils? #Goodolddays

I didnt think there was much in it at the time but that looks pretty damning. I'd like to see if he takes a look and aims for it or is he just trying to grab something to shift out of the ruck.

Indeed, in that clip it looks like he isn't focussing on where his hand is going, but his hand pinches rather than a wide grab for a body/ shirt.

Shameful eye gouging (or attempted) big ban and dropped from squad hopefully.

I didnt think there was much in it at the time but that looks pretty damning. I'd like to see if he takes a look and aims for it or is he just trying to grab something to shift out of the ruck.

Citing and banning on the way

Let's see a gif of Marler as well, for balance. Oh, and anyone got a sound replay of his "gipsy boy" comments.

No place for any of that in the game.

End of and beyond discussion.

Is it the same posters who thought that Brown's boot was ok who are now a bit breathless and hysterical over the attempt at the fastest eye-gouge in history? 🙄

That was a tad stressful! I'm hoarse after screaming at the TV in the pub.

The first 40 from England was very, very good I thought. Scrums were a lottery but the line out went well, the line speed in defence was very good (even Ford showed up Ok in defence). Wales looked like they'd run out of ideas but started the second half well. I thought we'd got away with it when Brown seemed to save our bacon when faffing about in our 22. The Biggar try seemed to really, really rattle them...what Ford was thinking kicking that away with Biggar bearing down on him is beyond me. The pass from Youngs wasn't sympathetic, but still.

The Welsh bench made a huge impact...squeaky bum time. Francis was lucky I thought. Given that it was to the eye area I think he'll get banned. Itoje was immense, for such a young man with few caps he looks at home on the international stage and gets through a lot of work.

Will be interesting to see how we front up in France next week with pressure on them to win.

Italy were bloody awful today. They played so well in Paris and loosing a game that they should have won seemed to make them give up. Wales will muller them next week.

It's been a good weekend of rugby for me...Worcs won, Exeter beat the Falcons and denied them an LBP ans Wasps beat Tigers And England won.

Is it the same posters who thought that Brown's boot was ok who are now a bit breathless and hysterical over the attempt at the fastest eye-gouge in history?

To quote someone else, a Joubert is a bit like a Sorbet... but leaves a bitter after taste instead. I am just glad that the better team won for the benfit of everybody's sanity.

Wales didn't look like they'd ever met each other before and weren't playing for each other like they normally would*

Wales missed more tackles than an average team makes completed tackles. Hopefully this is some sort of record and a trophy can be awarded to Edwards while posing for a photo with a face like Lunchboy's recent MOM and an interview to shame Brown's

I didn't notice Farrell at all today in open play which is the best possible indication England played ok.

Marler appears to be emulating his RFU president and continuing the tradition of props pretending to be the thickest players on the pitch but ends up double bluffing. If he did make the comment CFH suggests then I am surprised Samson didn't lamp him*

Itoje as MOM is the first unanimously agreed point in the history of this thread, or perhaps even in the entire wider STW. Expect a flurry of full screen ads to non-premium member as the forum melts down.

"Dominant" has been refined in the dictionary to describe a state where no one entity is particularly more skilled or powerful than the other. Example: England have the dominant scrum.

Ford actually played quite well and has a future in the side IMO. It is unfair to blame him solely for Priestland's charge down as Simpson's pass to him was suitably awful. Danny Care looks better when he comes on in the last 20, mainly because he hasn't had enough time to stuff the game up himself.

I hope Warburton is OK. In other injury news, Brown has been taken in for tests after the rumour he may have a heart and be human after all.

Francis was lucky not to be binned at the very least. It is a bit like a referee deciding a punch to the face was a friendly greeting or way to celebrate a try and letting it go. I think that Joubert realised leaving Francis on would be the bigger handicap for Wales so let slide. He'll probably get even bigger on his hols as Ritchie Rees will tell you that you don't need intent (or even any evidence of making contact with the face) to receive a hefty ban.

Wales can score tries. This is so surprising I'll just leave it at that.

Some people here still don't seem to realise a perfectly fine pass can travel forwards on the pitch.

I don't understand any of the love for Watson. Distinctly average. England should have played that guy Bananaman and had him line up opposite Cuthbert for a true battle of wits. Nowell works really hard everywhwere, has speed and lines to match his hard tackling but gets lumbered with the being at fault for Manu (and the secondfirstfiveeightswhoshouldn'treallybeplayingthere at other times in the game) leaving a lot of ground to cover.

The urban myth that the AB's win games by throwing the ball around in a carefree manner for 80 minutes is still a thing. They absolutely dominate territory by kicking more, and more effectively than any other side while doing the basics exceptionally well and rarely making mistake. If this is hard to imagine, watch Wales in the first half and imagine the opposite.

Every Welsh fan said England would win before the match. See! We told you so, we are always right and that is all that matters 🙂

* to state the obvious most seemed to be playing for England instead

** not a reference to ferreting

and one resulted in lots of blood and one saw a prob wander off the pitched when binned absent mindedly rubbing his nose!!

Good an accurate summary from mindmap3 I think. Cole isn't hurt and the game is (just about) won so no need for a fuss from us.

Those tries in the last need to have been prevented, for gods sake! But still, before the game if I hadn't watched it I would have said the final score reflects the teams, occasion and location.

Good to see North back in some form, but Itoje, jeez if we could find a few more like him.

If Bomber was still in charge, we'd not have seen Itoge in an england shirt yet. A senior one anyway.

Itoje, jeez if we could find a few more like him.

He's bloody good. Would love to see him alongside AWJ on the next Lions tour!

Also, he's a great advert for rugby. He's a professional sportsman, who is also studying for a politics degree at SOAS. (See also Dr Roberts and many more). Why can't soccer do the same? Why can't they have people playing AND getting an education. After all, if Itoje had a career ending injury now, he'd still have a potential career. If A.N.Other soccerist had a career ending injury, many of them have been taken from school at 16 or earlier, with little or no longer term education.

Priestland / Biggar. Must have been the French commentator's accent or the rowdy bar 😉

I'm sure the Welsh lad was fuming at Cole's infringement so he went for the eyes, cheap shot and very stupid in full view.

Too many subs and poor game management (once again) at the end when comfortably ahead and in control. I'll catch the highlights online to see how we turned penalty advantage into a score against. Defensive error on last score, bad mistake in a key area of the field.

Always a good sign to win when not playing particualry well. Much to work on and big improvements possible.

I'm stealing that comment!

If A.N.Other soccerist had a career ending injury, many of them have been taken from school at 16 or earlier, with little or no longer term education.

Most wendy ballists arent educated at Harrow or some other public school.

DanW It is unfair to blame him solely for [b]Priestland's[/b] charge down as [b]Simpson's[/b] pass to him was suitably awful.

Dan some interesting opinions but you're not exactly helping refute AA's point that England fans don't actually know who's on the pitch...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ysgol_Gyfun_Gymraeg_Glantaf

Hardly Harrow, is it? 🙂

It was Dawsons pass surely??

About as accurate as the rest of the post!

It could have possibly been tongue in cheek Tallie

Good an accurate summary from mindmap3 I think. Cole isn't hurt and the game is (just about) won so no need for a fuss from us.

Those tries in the last need to have been prevented, for gods sake! But still, before the game if I hadn't watched it I would have said the final score reflects the teams, occasion and location.

Good to see North back in some form, but Itoje, jeez if we could find a few more like him.

I doubt Gustard will be happy with the line speed I'd defensive effort in the last 20 mins. Part of me can't help wondering if the RWC horror show started to play on their minds after the charge down try. They seemed determined to hit the self destruct button. That's not meant to be disingenuous to Wales who upped the intensity, but the cool heads were lost.

Kruis has been going well and it's good to see Billy doing the full 80.

DanW; I wish Simpson was on the pitch! He was the form nine in the prem until getting broken.

Thought the back three were pretty good, I like Watson he took some good balls in the air even if a few were knocked on, Brown had a good game and Nowell was busy. Again a fallow callow back three.

I rate North, Williams offers more in attack (to my eyes than Halfpenny) but Cuthbert isn't great especially when you kick over the top of him. Wales looked really dangerous once the shackles were off.

That's a very Scottish sounding defence Dan!

Aw, look
[img] [/img]

No intent, no problem.

I'm afraid that is about as not

End of and beyond discussion,

as it could be.

Flashy - off the top of my head I can think of a couple of footballers who have degrees. Juan Mata of Man U and Duncan Watmore at Sunderland.

Mindmap- indeed. He's definitely up there as one of the best *proper* 9's IMO, but desperately unlucky with the timing of injuries

Here's an idea, now that rugby allows substitutions as players can no longer last 80 minutes, maybe we could do the same with referees?

It seems to be in the last ten minutes that Joubert makes most of his mistakes - sub him at 65. 😉

EJ made some errors - the game was nearly won but taking off your leader, subbing your 10, putting on a rusty 13 at 12 and an inexperienced 13 at 13 almost snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

Huge credit to the Welsh for getting back in it but England should have had it won by half time.

If Brown had any real ability he'd have scored what should have been an easy try for a top class full-back. Watson should be at 15. Youngs' passing is abysmal and cost the first try even though Ford should have made a different decision.

Still, for a team in development and nowhere near its full potential they've done OK.

Are you watching Stuart Lancaster? You could have picked Itoje last year. He may not have been ready but you never found out. He certainly looks ready now.

I don't understand any of the love for Watson. Distinctly average.

I agree.

Apart from scoring tries, being brilliant in the air, showing scintillating speed and footwork and running over Alex Cuthbert he's done nothing.

😀

EJ made some errors

I'm not so sure that Gatland played Wales to EJ's game plan and it backfired. It seems that Wales resurrected themselves in the final 20 - which in the past has been when EJ makes his changes putting other teams to the sword with fresh players.

Did Gatland tell them to hold back a little then attack the final 20 knowing England would be slower? If he did it almost worked, and certainly would have done if they weren't 16 down at HT.

Just the French now though, and we all know what a lottery that could be.

Bah, anyone can give Cuthbert the run around 🙂 Watson is great without doubt but not on the wing where I don't think you get the best out of him at this level. Now EJ is in and has seen Goode for what he is I guess actually starting at 15 for England isn't as unthinkable as it once was If something were to happen to Brown

#mighty maro

Sorry about that, I just wanted to be on trend 😉

He is bloody good though! Blind side surely,you have good second rows,him, VP and Clifford would go some. Oh and both of those foul play incidents were cards,since that seems to be the chat, CFH nails the time without them.

Line-outs are becoming as bad as scrums. Does no one throw down the middle? Getting so obvious that we might as well go to league throw ins.

Line-outs are becoming as bad as scrums. Does no one throw down the middle? Getting so obvious that we might as well go to league throw ins.

Watson is great without doubt but not on the wing where I don't think you get the best out of him at this level.

Indeed - that's why I said he should be at fullback. 😉

Besides, whatever good he does, Brown is simply not top class. Watson could be. Goode is far, far too slow for international rugby despite being a skilled all-round footballer at club level.

Top teams have great fullbacks who can create and take chances - think Ben Smith, Israel Dagg, Willie LeRoux, Israel Folau, Rob Kearney (in latter days perhaps) etc.

Says a lot about Marler that when handbagging with a short,fat,ugly,receding Ginger prop,the first thing Marler mentions is his background/race. Despite the defence of a number of posters on here that it is just banter,the irb has guidelines that start at 4 weeks.

wrecker - Member
Is it the same posters who thought that Brown's boot was ok who are now a bit breathless and hysterical over the attempt at the fastest eye-gouge in history?

Firstly, I hope you enjoyed that game idlejon. I did

Not sure that 'enjoyed' is the correct word. My girls learned new combinations of unusual words. England deserved to win - no complaints there.

Secondly, one was illegal and one was not. That should set it straight for you, glad I could help.

I'm sure he'll get whatever he deserves. It was careless, but played in real time I can't see that it was a real attempt at gouging. I've recreated it with a pile of soft toys, dolls and children...I'm off to casualty now. 😆

Now, on a serious note - who was talking about the post RWC 6Ns being meaningless? 😆

Are France capable of a) putting a big score on Scotland today. 2) beating England next week to steal the championship win?

Who has seen the photo of North getting the pass away before he goes out of play. 😆 I think it is called clutching at straws.

well done england it hurts to say it, why didnt Wales show up for 60 minutes?

Don't be too hard on yourself pigface, it was more like 50mins.

fair play idlejon, that post made me laugh!

2) beating England next week to steal the championship win?

Point of note, brown was englands key influencer. 7 defenders beaten, 138m made. To say he's not world class is incorrect.

Oh he is world class, a world class twunt 😆

Cheers Ducky

Mike Brown is world class. It's just that if you put all the first choice international 15's to in a list he wouldn't be the top of it.

Point of note, brown was englands key influencer. 7 defenders beaten, 138m made. To say he's not world class is incorrect

He's probably the best we've got and certainly did some good stuff yesterday but there's still plenty of room for improvement. He should have scored in the corner when he made that break in the first half and his passing remains a bit suspect. In particular it was noticible that he received
a much better pass from Itoje than he gave in the build up to the try.

He's far from perfect, but he's easily an international class 15. I wouldn't swap him for Hogg, Kearney or even Halfpenny.

Ben Smith, Israel Dagg, Willie LeRoux, Israel Folau, Rob Kearney

Is this a game off spot the odd one out?!!!

To say he's not world class is incorrect.

On Brown it depends on your definition of world class, apart from the obvious anomally he's not as good as those listed above.
Brown is an excellent 15 but does seem to be let down by top end gas and finishing ability. Loopy Liam, Hogg, 1/2p, Zebo, Brown all have strengths and weaknesses but overall are much the same. Hogg might be the best I suppose. Watson and Halam Amos could be future lions at 15.

And matthew morgan of course 😉

Stop talking about him someone might hear!!!!

Marlers elbow here:
http://www.punditarena.com/rugby/adrumm/video-joe-marler-find-massive-trouble-punching-rob-evans/

Racial abuse here, tbh I cant tell who says it
https://mobile.twitter.com/pinkymallen/status/708752612678565888/video/1

looks like Marler is just trying to get Evan's arm out of the way 🙂

Better angle
https://vine.co/v/iH3M5LViB0x