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😂
Anyway predictions for the weekend?
Scotland lose
Ireland Lose
England Win
Wales Win.
Scotland lose
Ireland lose
England lose
Wales win
But - its a lovely day for rugby in Edinburgh, we are not far off a first choice team, got the rustiness out of the way last week toughing out a win over Aus even when not playing well so you never know...............
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'But its the hope that kills you. I may have to retreat behind the sofa
SA no. 10 choice = Scotland win, I reckon.
Waiting to get home to watch but I can envisage a hard press defence against Russell. As in hard late and illegal.
Cats at a rave!
Well that was unexpected. We took a real beating that half and have a 2 pt lead! Fabulous try.
Scotland are a good side now - the looser playing style is upsetting SA and defence is really strong.
SA are a bit one dimensional, they are very good at it, but it does allow the opposition to develop a game plan
Hopefully the team have more belief than you TJ! For too long I think Scotland had lost to SH teams before they even got on the pitch, but in recent years they (justifiably) believe they can win.
SA are proof of why rugby should go back to only allowing subs for injury. The “50 minute forward” allows them to bulk up to dangerous levels.
Waiting to get home to watch but I can envisage a hard press defence against Russell. As in hard late and illegal.
not illegal so far
Scotland well in this. (60:26 just got the pen on 5m line after a great clearance 70m. )
Oh well, sorry Scotland, they've brought Pollard on.
Has the Mish made a +ve impact?
Scotland scored some nice tries but, like Wales, just don't have the bench to compete in last 20mins.
Has the Mish made a +ve impact?
Impossible to do when the front 5 is being completely outplayed in every facet.
pretty much. Our Scrum was mullared all game and missing kicks did not help. None of them were sitters but he should have got some
considering the scrum we were competative but thats all
Couple of expensive line-out fails from Scotland. A try off one of those would have made it more interesting.
But SA good for the win
Ireland have started brightly!
C’mon Ireland
Love to here the guardians of politeness in rugby boo the other team, if only they could boo Wales a bit more recently!!
Amazing half of Rugby!
Ireland making all the running but somehow trailing at the half?
Have NZ ever made that many tackles in 40 minutes?
Not sure IRL can do another 40 like that. NZ won't be happy.
IRL won the first half but at what cost?
Even if rugby went to subs only for injury there'd be an even slower walk. Is the nothing in the rules about the trundle and eat up time. Needs a ref to say everytime you walk to a set piece I'll stop the clock.
Has Andy Farrell taken two steps towards being the next England coach?
I’m in Barcelona & my VPN won’t work for Ch4, so only following this one on txt. Sounds a good one……
Luckily AP works for the later game.
Amazing match*. Certainly ain't over yet
*only slightly spoilt by indecisive ref referring every bloody thing to the tmo
I will take that, we had no right at all to be ahead at half time.
*only slightly spoilt by indecisive ref referring every bloody thing to the tmo
Indeed. Why can't they just referee the bloody game? I'm sick of continual TMO references.
I will take that, we had no right at all to be ahead at half time.
I fully disagree, SA were on the back foot a lot of the time 1st half, Scotland backs and attack great. If the three lineouts had gone the other way in 2nd half we would be singing scotland praises. It easy to only see the neg when you have lost.
England would have just done their usual up front muscle fest and had no plan B. (My expectation for next weekend)
Scotland had a plan B. Use their back talent...
Indeed. Why can’t they just referee the bloody game?
Exactly. We grassroots refs have to! 😉
And that scrum to NZ when Jordan just stopped for no reason was moronic. Nice that Ireland scored shortly after anyway 😀
Come on Ireland hold them out
Umm this Pen is gonna be massive!
Game over they've done it again!!
This is glorious!
Fine victory. Well played Ireland.
Wow, well done Ireland. #3 in world rankings and looked good for it.
Wow! Clapping at the telly. Have I gone mad?! 😆
Unbelievable!
Amongst others, Ringrose very good. Lowe much improved imho from when he first played for Ireland.
Well, that was just EXCELLENT!
****ing awesome. Mine's a pint
I mean like…you never beat them by much but that scoreline flattered the All Blacks. 😀
Forwards provided plenty of ball. Furlong was awesome and Conan and Doris. That was a great game for a neutral (well can you ever be neutral vs AB'S?)
(well can you ever be neutral vs AB’S?)
I can. Ireland were fantastic. ABs in a sparse few patches. B Barrett going off early on probably didn't help, but still a great game. I think ref had a good game too.
C’mon England
Brilliant Ireland. And the game stop. 9 should have run it to score. NZ scrum no, play the whistle, there was no whistle.
I fully disagree, SA were on the back foot a lot of the time 1st half, Scotland backs and attack great.
What? SA spent most of the first half camped on our line. Scotland never looked like winning. Made SA play well but we were taught a lesson there
and the game stop. 9 should have run it to score
Yep, I would've raised my arms and clearly shouted "Play on". Players who don't play to the whistle do not get the advantage!
There was a whistle though - I think in response to everyone stopping, rather than the cause of everyone stopping. But he did whistle, and could hardly then call play on.
Yeah, he blew it instead of calling play on. That was the first bit he got wrong. Then he stuck out his arm to indicate Ireland ball, then he changed his mind. Anyway, whatevs. We all make mistakes.. apparently I missed a knock-on yesterday eve, according to the (obviously) losing team's coach 😆
Made SA play well but we were taught a lesson there
Pretty much every time the backs got possesion they made something of it.
Furlong was awesome and Conan and Doris.
Van Der flier too, he was very good. Bierne made an impact also. Kelehers defence from that lineout where NZ scored was woeful though
England playing with fire, should be out of sight by now!
Fire went out a while ago. ..
How many ehas Jaco said "counter ruck is good".
You know what that means?
England not even getting the basics right. This is lame.
Well done England - better side for sure but it was a bit of a dross game compared to the one in Dublin.
That was a tough watch. Can Aus please continue to get even shitter for next week please....might give us a chance.
Ireland was game of the day by a long way. Scotland game was also great to watch. Well I enjoyed it anyway and still had hope even in the last 20.
England win was full of promise from the new guys, but loads of misfiring stuff too.
Can Aus please continue to get even shitter for next week please….might give us a chance.
Exactly, a not very good England team beat a really shyte Oz team.
Plenty to work on for sure, but the Aussies are always wiley competitors, who have a few tactics up their sleeve.
The new guys fitting in really well too.
That Nick White tackle on George to save the try was class.
I think both the yellows were fair. Some might have red carded the 11, certainly a few years ago. The aussie 1 was lucky Lawes protected himself in that spear tackle.
Looks like Faz injured so next week Manu back to 12 and Radwan will have a chance to race Kolbe.
Two hours for a game of rugby? And people moan about the NFL?
Get rid of the TMO. Get rid of namby Pamby tackling rules that have no effect on concussions as far as I can tell. Get rid of substitutes. If you can't run for more than 50 minutes play another sport. Get rid of water carriers. If you're thirsty - have a slice of orange at half time. Get rid of shoulder pads or head guards and bring back cotton shirts. Get rid of kicking tees and pimply balls that are impossible to drop.
Get on with the bloody game!
I like that it takes a long time... What else is so important?
I like that it takes a long time… What else is so important
2hrs of rugby would be fine. 2hrs of three men talking what they may or may not have seen on TV - not so fine.
I’m happy they get the right decision. I thought the tmo & Ref worked well today, and I’m no Jaco Peyper fan!
Individually the Aussies are class players. They can never seem to put it together for their country these days though. Last time I saw O'Connor in the SuperRugby he was brilliant, hardly noticed him today. Wales will be just fine.
It would be cool if we sent the Wallabies home 3-0.
Two hours for a game of rugby? And people moan about the NFL?
Get rid of the TMO. Get rid of namby Pamby tackling rules that have no effect on concussions as far as I can tell. Get rid of substitutes. If you can’t run for more than 50 minutes play another sport. Get rid of water carriers. If you’re thirsty – have a slice of orange at half time. Get rid of shoulder pads or head guards and bring back cotton shirts. Get rid of kicking tees and pimply balls that are impossible to drop.
Get on with the bloody game!
Game’s gone soft, eh?
I did wonder what Ireland were doing at that lineout try. Flanker drips out too wide and tadg is pointing the wrong way leaving a massive gap.
Wales will be just fine.
I wish I shared your confidence, I'm too worried about Fiji to start worrying about Aus!
In other news, Frans Steyn...he's awesome, my new favourite player. Three steps back two to the side and welly it, then pass me a pie!!
Like Frans steyn but he personifies SA rugby. Plant some huge world class players around the pitch and wait until the game comes to them. If it doesn't slow the game down to allow them to trundle to the ball. 😄
Looks like Faz injured so next week Manu back to 12 and Radwan will have a chance to race Kolbe.
Manu was wasted on the wing yesterday, Eddie needs to grow a pair and decide which of Smith, Faz or Slade he needs to drop to put Manu at 12 or 13.
Strong going forward but he just isn't a good enough defender to play at 12/13. Even at 30 odds years old he jumps out the line every game, including yesterday. Now you have to leave somebody deep; because of the new laws dog-legging the defensive line has more potential consequences for defence.
You know what that means?
Players coming from behind the back foot and driving into the ruck once it is formed, perfectly legal. Effective now as rucks are much higher than they used to be.
Fijian winger!!!
Now you have to leave somebody deep because of the new laws that has more potential consequences for defence.
Surely that's another argument for NOT playing him on the wing? He dropped a sitter yesterday. SA would thoroughly dismantle him with their kicking game. Commentators were saying he was defending at 13 off first phase yesterday anyway, hard to see what's going on from TV. I don't know, pick him or don't pick him but he's not a winger.
Do England fans think Eddie is taking them forward, still looks like same old England to me, if they can bully a team up front they are OK if not they will come unstuck. Although Smith at 10 looks good.
Players coming from behind the back foot and driving into the ruck once it is formed, perfectly legal. Effective now as rucks are much higher than they used to be.
Well yeah they rucked excellently, that was the best part of their game, they won a lot of ball like that, and then Beale wasted it..
However my point about not getting the basics right was that we had zero support and got driven off the ball, really bad support play.
Personally I was unimpressed. But the new guys looked more promising.
Do England fans think Eddie is taking them forward
Not really
still looks like same old England to me,
Yes
if they can bully a team up front they are OK if not they will come unstuck.
The going power play by forwards was great lots of metres made, yes same old england.
Given the crap support play by most of the forwards leaving players isolated, we were lucky Australia couldn't seem to make anything of all the ball they got off us.
Mind you Slade seems to go into contact a lot when he had a man outside.
I loved the hookers try at the end because he started running way in front of Simmonds as he knew Simmonds was faster. Got himself in exactly the right place. Great awareness.
I thought Beale was a shining beacon of hope in an incompetent backline for Aus. Hasn't played for Aus in years and the others didn't support him. O'Connor is an awful 10, one centre was good, the 9 is quality and everyone else bang average for international players....they'll spank Wales senseless.....
I loved the hookers try at the end because he started running way in front of Simmonds as he knew Simmonds was faster. Got himself in exactly the right place. Great awareness.
Got to admit I had switched off by then!
I thought Beale was a shining beacon of hope in an incompetent backline for Aus
I am not as good an observer as you, maybe everyone he passed to was shit instead but it always seemed like Beale passes and then it goes wrong...
Mind you Ben Youngs was Mr Indecisive and they got him because of it, that Mike Phillips esque half step. So annoying to see, the wrong pass is better than a telegraphed late pass. He needs to change something or just be replaced.
Got to admit I had switched off by then!
To be fair I think Oz had too, but that was the best bit of the game for me.
See it here.
https://twitter.com/WorldRugby/status/1459605832186974213
Mind you Ben Youngs was Mr Indecisive and they got him because of it, that Mike Phillips esque half step
The difference is Mike Philips did the step for a reason, to bring defences to him. Youngs is just not very good.
However my point about not getting the basics right was that we had zero support and got driven off the ball, really bad support play.
Or Aus got the tactics right and spotted a weakness to exploit?