David Strettle

It's a bit disappointing to see Strettle moaning about the referee/touch judge/TMO decision in the papers this morning. Especially the nonsense about the England physio being next to the touch judge and confirming that it was a try. Obviously it was a contentious decision but it was clearly very difficult for the try to be awarded on the video evidence and Walsh's first reaction was that he was held up. Strettle's comment that "If it is inconclusive you have to go with the attacking team." is just plain stupid.

He should perhaps take a leaf out of Stuart Lancaster's book - very dignified in defeat. He should also take a look at his own finishing skills. That was an easy finish in the corner for an international winger but for some reason (perhaps the conversion?) Strettle cut inside slightly which just allowed the Welsh defence to do enough. Halfpenny would have scored that try in the corner with no need for any TMO.

meh. He thinks he got it. I saw a shot (after the game, not at the time) that suggests he got it down. There's still no guarantee the conversion would have gone over. Thought Walsh had a good game, overall. Don't think either side can say he favoured the other even if I didn't agree with all his decisions.

Damn close game won on the bounce of a ball, and the best England Wales game I've watched in a while. Well done Wales. Now go and kick some SH bottom! This team should be able to.

Cowshot wrote:meh. He thinks he got it. I saw a shot (after the game, not at the time) that suggests he got it down. There's still no guarantee the conversion would have gone over. Thought Walsh had a good game, overall. Don't think either side can say he favoured the other even if I didn't agree with all his decisions.

Damn close game won on the bounce of a ball, and the best England Wales game I've watched in a while. Well done Wales. Now go and kick some SH bottom! This team should be able to.

Agree with all that. I thought England played a great game today and I think Lancaster's doing an excellent job, just thought Strettle's comments were unnecessary and to be honest a bit dim. It's pretty obvious they'd be splashed over the media today and he just looks like a sore loser - which I don't think is what this Lancaster regime is all about. He's not the first to think he scored a try which couldn't be given, but there we go.

Yeah, agree it would have been better to just keep his gob shut and get on with it. But I can understand his frustration. International tries don't just grow on trees...

Think we can put to bed this idea that Strettle is defensively frail. Without his tap tackle on North (?) in the first 5 mins the game might have been that hammering that seemed so on the cards...

Cowshot wrote:Yeah, agree it would have been better to just keep his gob shut and get on with it. But I can understand his frustration. International tries don't just grow on trees...

Think we can put to bed this idea that Strettle is defensively frail. Without his tap tackle on North (?) in the first 5 mins the game might have been that hammering that seemed so on the cards...

That was certainly a great tap tackle and as you say very important at that early stage of the game - he did very very well to get across to make contact with North. I'm not sure his all round defence was really tested though - we would have needed to see North bulldozing towards him in full flight (as we saw against Ireland) for that, but your centres did such a good job defensively that we never really saw that... Maybe next year in Cardiff!

Is it just me or have there been a lot of tap tackles in this 6Ns? I haven't been keeping count but it feels as though there have been a lot of them. If I'm right, does that mean skill levels in the 6Ns in general are going up?

Personally, I don't think Flood wouldn't have kicked the extras anyway so the TMO saved us from extra heartbreak.

You are a gentleman and a sport Sir, I salute you.

That was certainly a great tap tackle and as you say very important at that early stage of the game - he did very very well to get across to make contact with North. I'm not sure his all round defence was really tested though - we would have needed to see North bulldozing towards him in full flight (as we saw against Ireland) for that, but your centres did such a good job defensively that we never really saw that... Maybe next year in Cardiff!

yeah. Lots of good stuff there. I haven't watched the game again, yet, but my impression was of the Welsh attack getting swarmed. I thought Ashton and Stretts were part of that. Barritt was excellent - Worsleyesque in his clobbering. And as the side hung in there and confidence grew we saw something of what Farrell might be able to do. Lots of good stuff there. But more to do, clearly. Neither Ashton nor Strettle seemed to have many attacking chances, for example. Pinned to their wings by the Welsh back three?

Wales showed a tactical nouse that's new to me - the game management during the yellow was excellent - and a dogged determination so that when, in the end, the chance came it was grabbed. Yes, the England management had worked out a plan to deal with the Welsh attack and the lads put it into practice very well, but even so, Wales got the win. And for the development of any Welsh squad ticking the "won at Twickers" box is important.

Lot of good stuff for both sides out of that game.

I remember Ryan Jones wasn't given the benefit of the doubt when he scored vs Ireland a few weeks ago.

I think he's allowed a moan, provided that it's not a fully throated pop at the referee, who I thought as a neutral did reasonably well.

Laidlaw had a princessy after feeling he should have been awarded the try following his 'chip and chase' against England. Air cleared. No harm, no foul.

Besides, if they're asking Strettle what he thought about the incident, he's surely allowed to give his opinion. Provided no rude words are used...

I think that what Strettle showed today was that he is not international class; not just in the failure to score a reasonably simple run into the corner, but his decision making was flawed on a number of occassions.

Trip tackle aside, he was poor.

We are not exactly short of very good wingers at the moment, Sharples has to play against the Irish.

Strettle, eh? Well, I have never been much of a fan, and in fact, I was never quite sure what he did to earn a spot in the game day XXII. To me, it is certainly time to see Sharples out there.

But regarding any post match carping, I would give him a little slack, especially if was in the immediate post-match. None of the reports I read indicated when/where the comments were made.

That was a tough, tough match and had a difficult ending, of which he was in the absolute spotlight. And he obviously feels he did ground the ball correctly. And I do think he does have a point about the advantage. But once he has blown off his steam, he has got to move on. Match is over. This is life.

No one wants to see a match end on the decision of the TMO, whether right or wrong. But, it is important to be gracious. Wales did play a terrific match and they took their opportunity. That was the point where Wales were better. That was the difference.

Cadair Idris wrote: Halfpenny would have scored that try in the corner with no need for any TMO.

Now you see that is again an example of arrogance.

How can you say any other player would have scored in the exact same position?

You are assuming, when you assume............

from a welsh perspective.. i thought England were very good yesterday. But i think they were let into the game by a very poor kicking game from Wales.
That said, I'm thrilled because for what feels like the first time Wales have been able to see out a game despite a poor performance and survived a yellow card.

Cowshot wrote:Think we can put to bed this idea that Strettle is defensively frail. Without his tap tackle on North (?) in the first 5 mins the game might have been that hammering that seemed so on the cards...

The tap tackle was certainly important, but there's a big difference between a tap tackle and a front on one though.

The stats show he made 2 tackles and mssed 2. 50% tackle success isn't the most reassuring.