[Closed] STW 2014/15 Rugby Thread

Patchel will be able to kick a long way when he grows up

Quite funny watching the wales back line get bullied!

Englands backs just aren't good enough....Brown and Care are the only two that are world class, and whilst they're both having better games this week, neither is in great form. Barritt....**** me, has the bloke ever thrown a pass in his career! We should be easily in front against this Saffa team but there've been soo many errors 🙁

Mad start to the second half! I'll say it now, Eben Etzbeth will be regarded as one of the all time great by the time he retires.

Good grief Priesthood is shit. If he doesn't want to be booed he should learn to play.

And that nice new pitch is looking even worse today than last week.

Can't complain at that. Bad discipline again.

So, today's matches feature the combined talents of Farell Priestland and Pat Lambie at 10.....blimey.

How was that a completed tackle on Williams?

Well thats 40 mins of my life wasted.

Disappointing. Ford should start, not sure even Lawes is imposing himself over Kruz. Eastmond better. Watson started to show attacking for, but needs to be in the game.

Farrell should be off next week

Agreed re Ford...he gets all of the back line working much better than Farrell does.

So disappointing as we gifted them so many points. Then again our try when Habana was adjudged to have taken the ball out should have never stood so maybe it was a fair reflection.

I thought that Steve Walsh had a good game (by god that pains me saying that!) Not convinced that Hartley deserved a yellow though.

Not convinced that Hartley deserved a yellow though

The man is a thug. Just plain stupid play.

And +1 to Walsh handling the game well for a change.

The commentators didn't think that it was a card either. If you want to lie at the bottom of an opposition maul that is going forwards and make no attempt to move, then expect a bit of getting trampled... there was a hint of stamping but nothing major....it's a tough game, which for many is part of the appeal.

Wales win ugly horrid shambolic cackhanded and dear god that has to remove Priestland from the squad.

Priestland awful but would Hook have been any better, shame Patchel is broken. Hope Biggar is fit for the next two.

Another of my changes would be Ben Morgan to start...maybe get him to lay off the pies mind.

Ford is a bit hot and cold with the boot and not the greatest defender.

Dear god the ref and the video ref were indecisive in the wales game today..just make a decision. Took hours and got two wrong.

Hartley teed him up with a slap then stamped on his leg.

There's clearing a player out, and there is just being a "horrible niggly ****".

I didn't see the England game, had to go to my 5 year olds birthday party, sounds like it was good news I missed it. someone tell me, was it just Tindallball as usual?

Saw the cheap tickets for Fiji when I was there last weekend and was tempted to go down again, glad I didn't. Felt short changed just from watching the tv.

Come on Scotchland you can do it!!!

A-a, Hook couldn't have been any worse. Can't kick, cant hold the ball, can't pick the right pass, I'm starting to wish he'd retired when the pressure was getting to him.

Hook does things that people aren't expecting which look daft because of it but it's usually positive. Priestland is inconsistent he's either bad or awful.

And Roberts wasn't much better today either.

I think that Ford is becoming a much more consistent kicker. The last time I saw him in real life he couldn't hit a cows arse. 18 months on, he's IMO the best English 10.

Crap haka again, hope they do the good one v Wales.

Mate of mine who's big on his rugby asked 'since when is walking over a man in a maul a sin bin offence?'

As I said, if that's his opinion I wouldn't want him walking around upstairs, he'll have the ceilings down!

What's the deal with Scotchland wearing the away kit?!

Ross Ford isn't a huge fan of hooking is he!

This is a great position for the Scots, [fantasymode]I hope they can maintain this.[/fantasymode]

The man is a thug. Just plain stupid play.

What's the deal with Scotchland wearing the away kit?!

Clucking bell! Come on Scotland.

What's the deal with Scotchland wearing the away kit?!

If the kits clash the home team always wears the alternate kit in rugby. It's not football you know 😀

Like Ireland in white last week

Dammit. I do hope someone beats the ABs this tour.

Well that performance was teh awsemoe.

Me too. Can't see it being Wales. Laid law should have nailed that kick

Good game for Phil Daniels in the AB 9 shirt.

EDIT Dunno why I can never post pictures anymore.

[img] http://www.zimbio.com/photos/Beauden+Barrett/Wellington+v+Manawatu [/img]

Laidlaw has been excellent for glaws this year. Shame his kicking went pearshaped at the end.
As for the England performance, the problem is not the players. I like SL but the tic tacs are too conservative. The backs never got to do anything but tackle. This is being incorrectly identified as farrells fault. It isn't. He's feeding forwards as first receivers every time. Crap, stingy rugby. If it doesn't change, England won't beat any of the big boys.

Sounds like Tindallball to me. Not going to bother watching it.

Well I never knew that about the home team wearing the change kit!

If England don't knock over a s/h team the world cup is a distant dream. That's the second game in a row farrell has given more than one suicide pass in a game. The line out is very good and consistent.

Bollocks. It was marginal at best, hence the various conversations.

It was a pretty clear stamp and left the ref with no choice

Meanwhile in paris

I think England's win ratio under Lancaster is now under 60%. What was Martin Johnson's?

Blimey you Englishers are a fickle bunch. Put Corbisero, Cole, Launchbury and Tuilagi in that team and you'll be in business. Although I wont complain if you sack Lancaster.

It was a pretty clear stamp and left the ref with no choice

True but Hartley shouldnt have stamped on him. It was clearly a stamp, a soft yellow for sure but the ref had little choice.

I've seen them let go. I suppose my yardstick is amateur rugby. I do know (from experience) that if you did that in llandaff you'd get an absolute pasting and have nobody to blame but yourself. No cards (or f***s) would be given.

Er I'm not English, AA 8)

Glaws seem to be doing there bit to piss of the Welsh Scamper....how's Hibbards foot today 🙂

Well yes wrecker but in international rugby with replays and good refs you just cant do it anymore..
unless you are an All Black.

Big Gav leads Bath to victory from outside half... hmmmm

Out on the ride tomorrow, Tom? Thought not. 😀

: )
I think I prefer this thread to the other rugby threads so far.

Im wondering whether itz difficult to compare England and the other six nations on the basis of these matches? Anyone else think the SANZ teams only really wanting to beat eng?

Aye New Zealand only try to win some of the matches 🙄
Scotland for the Six Nations win?

Well done France. ...

And if you put 15 grannies against NZ the all blacks would cheat by only 10% less but tackle just as hard.

Teddy Thomas against Aussies today

Not good enough again, score flattered England. Boks where not as clinical as NZ.

Ben Morgan was excellent. Brown back to form after weak game against NZ. Hartley had to go, very stupid but it should have been a penalty against SA before the stamp for trying to drag it down. I though Care was a bit average again.

Farrell, what can you say. Moody spoke after the game about needing to give Ford game time as we know what Farrell can do (ie tackle, kick medium range penalties but not much else). Ford should start against Australia.

NZ didn't really care about Scotland as you can see from the selection, I sure Hansen will be disappointed in how they laboured though. It will be a full NZ side against Wales, they will want to win that.

^ sounds about right

So whilst in a cafe today I saw the headline in the Mail..(I didnt read further or even touch the hateful rag) and it read England flop at Twickenham. Is a loss to SA a flop now for this team of world beaters?

Who is positioning england as world beaters?

The Mail. If its a flop to lose to the best team in the world one week and the second best the next it must follow that they think England should have won. Or have I missed something ( I realise its the Mail too they probably still think St Johnnies playing)

It's not a flop to loose to the best 2 sides in the world.

It is a flop to have a huge playing base, a wealth of talent available along with unlimited resources and yet try to play rugby by numbers, with no plan B, no invention and no soul.

It doesn't help ignoring the "flash" players, relying on statistics to choose your team and constantly rewarding mediocrity.

I NEVER thought I'd say this - but I'd almost rather be Welsh.

AA has it right, anyone calling for Lancaster to go needs to remember where England were under MArtin Johnson.......throwing dwarves and jumping off ferries.

Robshaw and Wood outstanding and incredibly consistent

nothing matter now world cup is 11 months and players form and injury will change BUT giving a squad the opportunity to play is imperative but drop Hartley he is a liability for penalities

decision making needs to improve across the squad

I would have liked to have seen ciprani given a chance

Scotland will be intresting in the 6 nations I feel they can and will take some scalps, Wales especially.

AA has it right, anyone calling for Lancaster to go needs to remember where England were under MArtin Johnson

Doesn't go with:

I would have liked to have seen ciprani given a chance

SL brought humility and respect back into the England camp - but then our local Scoutmaster could've done the same. SL is not an international coach and neither is AF. I'm not calling for them to be gone. It's too late for that. They need to throw away their bloody laptops and start actually watching rugby rather than analyzing stats.

Why is Care so dynamic for 'Quins and rubbish for England? Where is Cipriani? Why do we have a pack who can take on the very best yet a team who can't?

Put the England pack with the Irish halves and the Welsh 3/4s and you'd be in business!

Put the England pack with the Irish halves and the Welsh 3/4s and you'd be in business!

that would a lions tour then.........

Watching the Wasps/Welsh game - L.Welsh really are dire aren't they?
They must be playing to an empty stadium at home games, who on earth would pay money to watch this week in, week out - and I say that as a Sale fan!

Why is Care so dynamic for 'Quins and rubbish for England? 

Same reason Rhys Webb is so good for Ospreys and poor for Wales, the opposition are better. Quims more often than not give him front foot ball too.

Well that's one reason maybe but also it's probably because any individuality seems to be drummed out of the English players once they reach the national side.

England do produce front foot ball - if a little slow.....

I NEVER thought I'd say this - but I'd almost rather be Welsh.

England were under MArtin Johnson.......throwing dwarves and jumping off ferries.

Watching the Wasps/Welsh game - L.Welsh really are dire aren't they?

@aa The Mail needs sensationalist headlines,"narrow loss" doesn't qualfiy

@namaster Cirpiani is where he should be, in the wilderness. He is a talented player, was given a great chance was wasn't as good as he thought (found out against Boks in particular). Was unlucky with nasty injury but showed poor application generally and no discipline off the field. IMO not right in the head so that's it he's gone. He failed to grasp what was required at international level off the field in terms of preparation so he's had his chance, that ship has sailed.

I am at a loss to explain how Martin Johnson was such an influential and frankly intimidating skipper but as a coach seemed to lack the respect of the team.

SL has earned his chance. Johnson didn't. He was on a hiding to nothing, and should never have been persuaded to take the role.
MJ ejected Cipriani for a severe attitude problem (the rumour mill says he actually physically ejected him for being a complete gobshite). He got an injury and lost a yard of pace then went to Oz and his defensive frailties were a running joke.
Has he sorted himself out? I don't know but he's playing some tasty rugby.

apologies wrecker, you are correct

should have read went to a bar that happen to have dwarf throwing as 'entertainment'

still unacceptable in a world cup though...........

still unacceptable in a world cup though...........

It was interesting reading the irish view on it. The england team were very cagey with the press, not permitting a high level of access. The Irish went about it differently and took the journos on the lash (and admitted that the england team did nothing that they didn't). As a result some boundaries were respected.
Another example of poor management.

Whilst the welsh stayed sober and battered ireland senseless.

Any excuse
[img] [/img]
[img] [/img]

for a professional sport player/s in the midst of a world cup to go on the lash is unacceptable,

wales have proved effectively the sports conditioning is essential, SL has improved England immeasurably as a group and unit something a scoutmaster could not have done, so far England are playing like England strong forwards and forward game. I would like to see more creativity and line breaks, but I would rather it all peaked for the world cup, no good beating everyone now amd not then. SL is aiming for the world cup and doing a great job

Vern Cotter at Scotland is intresting, gone back to the national side traditions and strength, or has just inherited all of G townsend work at Glasgow?

The logic of letting players out was to relieve some of the stress, a world cup is a real pressure cooker atmosphere. Always used to be a part of the Lions tours. You should ask yourself how much of the England stuff was stoked up by the Kiwi locals and press ?