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Gulp, a let off there for Wales. France kinda deserved the try anyway it was so good. France are flying now!
North's taken an awful lot of head knocks hasn't he? I fear for his future TBH.
Cracking game for a neutral this one 😁
Yup - exciting game
Wales have just been Wales but unable to cope with the ferocity at the breakdown and the blitz
Poor not to use the overlap at the 5 m scrum tho - miscommunication?
France were savage at first, I thought that the key test of Wales will be how they respond tactically instead of just trying the same thing and losing all the time.
That was pretty invigorating.
Yeah this is awesome although as an Englander Im wanting Wales to win. Who knew France would be this good this year. Going to be a great 2nd Half.
Damn that was monumental at the end of the half. 7 points let go and a yellow card run down : (
I wish I was neutral.
🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
It's like a the rugby equivalent of bipolar, totally unstable!
Talk about unruffled.
Is it me or is Jonathan Davies the most biased commentator in sport, everything Wales does is brilliant but when an opposing team scores its lucky!
Is it me or is Jonathan Davies the most biased commentator in sport, everything Wales does is brilliant but when an opposing team scores its lucky!
The Radio commentary isn’t much better.
Sounds like a good game so far.
Can’t help feeling Wales have two minutes to score.
Arghh : (
Jiffy is getting really bitter this half. Its lovely to hear.
It’s normally a Wales tactic, but France have been offside all afternoon. I’m surprised they have only had two yellow cards.
France have been ferocious in the tackle though.
Cracker of a game. Good win for France. Ntamack the best player on the pitch by miles
I loathe the playing for penalties and yellow cards in the scrums. Nice to see France get the decision in the end.
Aux armes, citoyens,
Formez vos bataillons
Well that was tense, Wales still playing shite mind.
Very much enjoyed that!
That’s the tournament lost for Wales. I’d like to see L Rees-Zammit get a game or two now.
Is it me or is Jonathan Davies the most biased commentator in sport, everything Wales does is brilliant but when an opposing team scores its lucky!
Exactly.... He shouldn't be let near the mike on a Welsh match.
Singularly the most annoying commentator on the BBC.
Great game though and the thought the right team won.
If you can't score in 20 mins when the other team have less players than you then you don't deserve to win.
Re the forward pass.... looked very close to me as the French player had to take the ball behind him.
Re the deliberate knock on.... I thought he played the Welsh players forearm, not the ball, which caused the ball to be dropped.... is that still a knock on?
Edit: Johnathan Davies getting a lot of stick on the BBC website comments. Deservedly so.
6 and 7 generally have the job of being the first defensive positions up to make a tackle following a set piece, and also being first at a breakdown to try to win turnover ball from the tackle. The openside (6) binds on the side of the scrum with the largest area of the field, and tends to be quicker, while the blindside is often bigger and bulkier.
8 has the job of controlling the ball at the base of the scrum and linking with the 9. They are typically big ball carriers so they can pick the ball from the scrum and make a break.
Hopefully that is mostly correct…
It would help if you knew which number the opensides and blindsides are, and what you’ve written was correct about 30 years ago but they all do significantly more these days.. 😉
Great game for the neutral. Really enjoying watching France this 6N, they look transformed.
Turns out that when they aren't fighting each other/the coach they're a decent team.
I noticed Pivac has become a true Welshman. "It's all the refs fault"
The scrum on the line Baba cannot have turned in as he split the Welsh front row
I noticed Pivac has become a true Welshman. “It’s all the refs fault”
The scrum on the line Baba cannot have turned in as he split the Welsh front row
Saw that too.
They lost out in a few right calls, suck it up and move on. This French team are looking pretty good at the mo, there’s no shame in losing to them. Edwards seems to have made a big impact.
I noticed Pivac has become a true Welshman. “It’s all the refs fault”
You can get quite tiresome after a very sort period. This statement really does say a lot about you. Is Eddie Jones welsh too?
This was a classic also
I loathe the playing for penalties and yellow cards in the scrums. Nice to see France get the decision in the end.
To summarise Wales cheat by pushing in the scrum!!! I expect it was Adam Jones fault he used to push in the scrums against Scotland!
I really enjoyed the Wales v France match. Best team won on the day but very entertaining for the neutral.
It is very disappointing to hear the Welsh crowd boo the kicker. And why the Welsh players kept arguing with the ref and then start fighting isn't what you expect from the Welsh.
players kept arguing with the ref and then start fighting isn’t what you expect from the Welsh.
Have you never been to a Welsh weatherspoons before? 😉
It is very disappointing to hear the Welsh crowd boo the kicker.
Must have been visiting Scots. It's a well known fact that only Scottish fans boo the kicker.
Jiffy explains this to us every time he's commentating at Murrayfield.
Eddie Jones is very annoying, but he never queries refs decisions when England lose. Pivac sounded like a football manager.
Until/unless the assistants start reffing to props bind and the squint drives the scrum will be a bit shit. So many plays for the penalties just makes it a bit pointless to actually scrummage. Drive straight and not pull down. Is probably what bamba did. The Welsh loosehead would be focussed on getting the penalty which mean power through his left shoulder and pivot through his core which upsets the bind to hooker. Bamba drove at the right shoulder, it's where he's meant to drive, and split the bind.
Scrums are pretty boring imho, I’d happily see them gone somehow.
I’m expecting an Ireland win today sadly. But I thought that last year......
Good start by Enhland, who is the Ireland five, he's going to get pinged for his cheapshots soon
Stander and Itoje more interested in having a fight than playing rugby.
Stander and Itoje more interested in having a fight than playing rugby.
Was started by ireland five
Peyper has no control of the offside line.
This is good, but it reveals how valuable Tuilagi is. Very different team with him in it, and they need to learn to play like this without him. Ford is on song today also.
Having 3 marauders in the back row is good for England. The big question is, does it offset the lack of a big 8 to smash it up?
Was started by ireland five
Nope - started by Itoje holding him off the ball and ripping his shirt off. Should have been pen ireland for holding the man
Winning margin?
The big question is, does it offset the lack of a big 8 to smash it up?
Lawes is doing that. I think England have worked out a way to relieve the pressure on Curry and allow him to come in as a natural seven on the follow up play. Best of both worlds. It’s stopped Ireland exposing Curry. Curry’s never come off the base, Ireland need to pressure Young’s at the scrum to expose that.
ive a feeling Genge is going to rip this apart in 20 mins or so, Marlers holding the scrum but Genge will tear into them.
Here we go.
TJ - correct, but then Stander charged across the pitch and smashed into him.
Nope – started by Itoje holding him off the ball and ripping his shirt off.
Nope it was started by the ireland five going for the cheap shot clearout of Itoje, Stander got involved later.
Smart play by Stander running off with Faz trying to hump his leg like a randy terrier
Has Sexton put his boots on the wrong feet?
Genge 1, Ireland 0.
And another cheapshot from ireland five.
Ruddy awful game tho.
May about 1m offside there!!
That Ireland winger on May. Late, and no arms.
Scrums are pretty boring imho, I’d happily see them gone somehow.
I’d happily see them go back to putting the ball in straight so there was an alternative to playing for penalties to try and gain an advantage.
That Ireland winger on May. Late, and no arms.
yep. Debatable pen try.
So the big question, Wales v England who wins and will Ireland beat France?
Pretty good by England today.
Ireland in the first half were utter shite. They need to find a replacement for Sexton; his best days are well behind him.
Can we replicate that sort of intensity against Wales in two weeks time?
Interesting stats from the game...
England - Ireland
Possession: 39%-61%
Territory: 41%-58%
Metres run: 202-234
Clean breaks: 3-2
Defenders beaten: 9-15
Tackles made/attempted: 175/190 (92% success) - 97/106 (92% success)
Penalties conceded: 12-7
With those stats, you’d expect Ireland to have won.
yep. Debatable pen try.
Yep, however May was never onside at the previous ruck so it shouldnt have counted.
Yep, however May was never onside at the previous ruck so it shouldnt have counted.
True, but it looked like a no arms tackle to me. Henshaw made no attempt to wrap the arms.
You’re only offside if the ref blows the whistle.....
You’re only offside if the ref blows the whistle…..
Indeed but had he scored, I'm pretty sure they'd have checked it, although had they gone the pen try route they might have got so involved in that they could forget. If you English are taking that as a pen try I'll take the intentional knock on as a pen try in the Wales game!!
I suspect the no arms bit was because he was trying to charge down the kick by the way!!
It’s completely immaterial to the outcome of the game thankfully, but it shows the complete inability of Peyper to manage the process. I hadn’t seen whether May was offside originally - if he was then it’s even worse. The whole match offside was poorly reffed.
Watching it on slo-mo, the Irish defender is upright until May kicks the ball, then he barges him & takes him out.
Will CJ Stander he cited this week? The end of his Itoje spat where he chased across the pitch to smash him, and punching Farrell on the floor (Farrell was holding on, but you can’t just punch people.
Is this the end for Sexton & Murray? Coney looked a different class when he came on. I wish England would blood a new 9.
Will CJ Stander he cited this week? The end of his Itoje spat where he chased across the pitch to smash him, and punching Farrell on the floor (Farrell was holding on, but you can’t just punch people.
He very clearly had an open hand, so I doubt it.
I’m a big fan of Stander - he did seem to be the wrong side of emotional control today.
This years England team have me undecided. I can’t decide if EJ is trying to ensure positional flexibility within his squad, or is just pig headed in selection.
Why take Mconnochie to the RWC, then not select him this year when we are short of wings? JJ actually played well today, but he wasn’t really tested defensively.
What is the long term scrum half plan ?
Never a penalty try as there was cover coming across, a penalty most likely.
Offside in general is not reffed, but the game doesn't penalise the attacking side in general, there are far more penalties given away defensively. The attacking players continually enter rucks from the side to clear out.
I suspect the no arms bit was because he was trying to charge down the kick by the way!!
Are your cataracts troubling you today?
Peyper is a shit ref and was particularly poor today I thought.
Jones’s selection are very odd and he does have a habit of selecting players and discarding them.
God knows what the scrum half plan is. Mitchell is there as an apprentice but doesn’t look like he’ll get a shot. Youngs was OK today, but that means he’ll be piss poor next week.
Are your cataracts troubling you today?
Well the ref, assistant ref and tmo didnt agree with you so, well, you know
He very clearly had an open hand, so I doubt it.
Sean Connery would approve, I'm sure.
I saw an open hand as well and he was hitting Farrells arms trying to get him to let go ( then into the body)
I have no idea what Farrell thought he was doing. Ok hold on for a bit if you must but Farrell gave away a pen that led to Ireland scoring. Idiot
but that means he’ll be piss poor next week.
That'd be fine as long as he's better for the week after... 🙄
That’d be fine as long as he’s better for the week after… 🙄
Ha ha. Ain’t gonna happen; Youngs has one good game in ten. He’ll be shite for the rest of the 6N.
Scrum half is one area where Jones really hasn’t developed his squad. Care is currently in good form and has a decent number of caps, Spencer should have had more of look in as should Robson. Simpson has also gone well since moving to Gloucester.
Whatever the stats seem to say Ireland were smashed, England seems to have worked out that we have an inability to cope with a simple ball kicked in behind. Sexton was awful and the extensive strapping on his leg seems worrying. On the plus side our U20s look like we have some good players coming through.
The most telling stat for me was how many times the commentator picked out Stander prior to the Farrel moment
Twice, IIRC, once for his hand bags at dawn moment with Itoje and once for managing the ball at the back of a scrum.
He is usually one of the most commentated on players in the Irish team. Was allowed to do virtually nothing by England yesterday.
Good for Engand to win, but on reflection disappointed they did not properly finish off Ireland and at least get the bonus point.
Good for Engand to win, but on reflection disappointed they did not properly finish off Ireland and at least get the bonus point.
They declared at half time didnt you hear?
England didnt look that great, if Wales were playing well I'd be confident, as it is I expect Wales are in for a tough afternoon next weekend.
England did nothing in attack bar kick(very well) and either try to drive over from short range or hope for a good bounce. England were also really niggly all game.
Blitz defense was good tho - scoring against them will be difficult.
England did nothing in attack bar kick(very well) and either try to drive over from short range or hope for a good bounce. England were also really niggly all game.
Still scored more tries than Scotland this tournament though...😉
I’m still surprised that they managed to beat Ireland. I still think they lack a killer instinct...if the AB’s were on top like that there would be no let up and a shed load more accuracy.